QuidelOrtho Science BYTES Podcast

Preventing Rh Disease, the evolution from discovery to ongoing challenges

Rh disease remains a significant health challenge, particularly impacting expectant mothers and their newborns. In this episode of Science Bytes, Dr. Steven Spitalnik discusses the milestones in Rh disease treatment, the ongoing challenges and future opportunities to combat this condition.

 

About our Speaker

Dr Spitalnik, MD is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, and a member of the Medical Staff at New York Presbyterian/Columbia.  He has authored over 250 publications and served as an investigator on ~30 grants and contracts including Principal investigator on ~20 of those grants. Additionally, he has sponsored more than 15 Training Grants.  Dr. Spitalnik is a member of multiple professional societies, including the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) and the International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT). He has served on multiple committees within these organizations and was on the Board of Directors for the AABB. He has received multiple society awards and was elected to the Hall of Fame of the AABB Foundation (previously the National Blood Foundation). Dr. Spitalnik is the Founding Member and Executive Director of the Worldwide Initiative for Rh Disease Eradication (WIRhE).  

Spotlight on syphilis: Breaking the chain with early detection

The syphilis epidemic in the U.S. is a growing public health crisis, with rates increasing by 76% from 2018 to 2022. Syphilis is preventable and curable, but early detection is key—especially for pregnant women, where timely testing can prevent congenital syphilis.

Don’t miss this episode on the solutions to this growing epidemic. 

 

About Our Speaker:

Dr. Lily Li is the Senior Director of Medical, Scientific & Clinical Affairs at QuidelOrtho. With a medical degree from Peking University and a PhD in Immunology from the University of Alberta, Dr. Li has guided the development of multiple infectious disease diagnostic tests at QuidelOrtho.

 

She's not 'just tired': Exposing the hidden thyroid epidemic in women

Did you know that women are 10 times more likely than men to develop a thyroid condition, yet often remain undiagnosed due to medical bias and lack of awareness? We often see women present themselves to an emergency department with health concerns that are brushed off as “stress” or “weight-related” versus conducting diagnostic testing to identify the root cause.

How can we address that?

Don’t miss this episode on how healthcare providers can address these types of biases including timeliness of diagnosis, screening practices, and interpretation of lab results to enhance the quality of care for women with thyroid conditions.

 

About our speaker

Jeff Houtz, Senior Global Product Manager

Jeff Houtz is the Senior Global Product Manager for QuidelOrtho covering thyroid and reproductive endocrine products. Jeff has 35 years of experience in research and development, product development, and medical education in a variety of disease states including reproductive and thyroid disorders. Providing accurate and meaningful diagnoses in furtherance of improved healthcare has always been a driver and motivator. Jeff has been instrumental in creating numerous CME and P.A.C.E.-accredited content for physicians, nurses, and laboratorians in the U.S. and Europe.

In addition to assay development Jeff is passionate about patient advocacy which is why he has worked closely with the Graves’ Disease and Thyroid Foundation and Thyroid Federation International. Jeff has also collaborated with LifeTime TV in support of programs on The Balancing Act and Access Health surrounding thyroid disease.

Jeff is also a family man married for 30 years with 2 wonderful kids.

Identifying Lesion-Causing Viral Pathogens

The World Health Organization estimates 3.7 billion people under age 50 (67%) globally have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, the main cause of oral herpes, and 491 million people aged 15–49 (13%) worldwide have a herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection, the main cause of genital herpes.  Although treatable, most HSV infections are often asymptomatic or unrecognized.  Moreover, management of HSV infections is complicated by overlapping clinical presentation of unrelated herpesvirus infections, such as varicella-zoster virus (VZV), requiring differential diagnosis.  Innovations in molecular diagnostics continue to play a critical role in the diagnosis and management of these diseases.

 

About Our Speaker: 

 

Lori Henderson earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Bucknell University. She began her career in the laboratory working on drug discovery and then transitioned into commercial roles within the biopharma and diagnostics sectors of the life science industry. Lori has direct experience in multiple disease and therapeutic areas and currently focuses on sexually transmitted diseases and women’s health. Within the molecular business unit at QuidelOrtho, Lori is responsible for identifying and helping drive the development of products to meet clinical and patient needs.

Hyperhemolysis Syndrome in the Patient With Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients are at risk of developing multiple complications from transfusions, including alloimmunization to red blood cell antigens, delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions and hyperhemolysis syndrome (HHS). While HHS is a rare complication of repeat blood transfusions in patients with SCD, clinicians and the laboratory have important roles in its detection and management.

In this podcast, Wally R. Smith, MD, the inaugural Florence Neal Cooper Smith Professor of Sickle Cell Disease at Virginia Commonwealth University shares insights to screening for and managing HHS.

 

About Our Speaker: 

Wally R. Smith, MD, is an experienced implementation scientist and expert in clinical and health services research in sickle cell disease (SCD). He serves as Vice Chair for Research of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and was Scientific Director of the Center on Health Disparities at VCU. Dr. Smith has authored over 100 publications and served as an investigator on over 50 grants and contracts. He has been principal investigator on 26 federal or foundation-funded grants and contracts including: Pain in Sickle Cell Epidemiology Study (PiSCES), the largest and most detailed adult cohort that changed our understanding of SCD pain in adults and, since 2012, Start Healing in Patients with Hydroxyurea, the first-ever randomized controlled trial of implementation science in SCD.

Sigma Metrics and the Value of Real World Evidence

Six Sigma is a popular way to measure quality. Sigma metrics have been adapted for the clinical laboratory by incorporating observed accuracy, precision and total error allowed (TEa). In vitro diagnostic (IVD) manufacturers have used Six Sigma to assess the quality of their assays using a small number of well-controlled systems to generate the data. QuidelOrtho has developed a novel approach to assess laboratory Sigma metrics for a broad range of assays using data from over 1,300 Vitros® instruments used in clinical labs. 

In this podcast, Johanna Miller, data scientist at QuidelOrtho, discusses the value of using real-world data to perform Sigma metric studies and how a lab can use this information. 

 

About Our Speaker: 

Johanna Miller holds a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Rochester and a master's in product development and data science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She spent 10 years developing expertise on Vitros systems and the data it generates, while working in product development. Currently, she focuses on developing new and interesting methods to use data at QuidelOrtho - specifically to bring insights directly to labs using Six Sigma quality scores. 

A Comprehensive Discussion of Reference Intervals

Reference intervals (RIs) are a fundamental decision support tool used by clinicians and lab professionals to interpret laboratory reports and assess an individual’s health status. The establishment of reference intervals, however, can be challenging due to many physiological factors that influence their values and heterogeneities that inherently exist in populations.

 

In this podcast, Dr. Lindy Crimmins will provide a comprehensive explanation of the influencing factors and evolving methodology of RIs from how they are established to how they are advancing.

 

About Our Speaker: 

Dr. Lindy Crimmins is a Manager of Medical Affairs at QuidelOrtho. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Medical Degree from the University of Illinois. Her clinical experience spanned from Emergency Medicine to critical care to primary care. Her time in the industry focused on clinical chemistry and point-of-care technical support prior to Medical and Scientific Affairs. Currently, she is responsible for providing medical support for QuidelOrtho’s acute care menu throughout the product lifecycle.

The Surprising Benefits of Becoming a Repeat Blood Donor

Each year 4.5 million lives are saved by blood transfusions thanks to blood donations. More than 118 million units of blood are donated worldwide every year but less than 10% of people who can donate blood will give. These repeat blood donors enjoy benefits of their own while providing their lifesaving gift. Donating blood burns 650 calories, reduces stress, provides an emotional lift and has physiological benefits.

In this podcast, Dr. Mark A. Levine shares the critical importance of blood donation and how repeat donors enjoy both emotional and physical health benefits.

 

About Our Speaker: 

Dr. Levine is an award-winning physician and lecturer with interests in health professional education, the history of medicine and community empowerment. For 14 years, he served as Chief Medical Officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Denver. Dr. Levine founded the Colorado Patient Safety Coalition and served as chair of the American Medical Association’s Council on Ethical & Judicial Affairs. He received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine. 

Dr. Levine’s father, Dr. Phillip Levine, was a pioneering hematologist who joined Ortho Products in 1944 and his breakthrough discovery of Rh factor led to advancements in hemolytic disease of the newborn and safe blood transfusions saving countless lives.

Managing Febrile Transfusion Reactions

Transfusion reactions are adverse events associated with the transfusion of whole blood or one of its components. They range in severity from minor to life-threatening and can occur during a transfusion, termed acute transfusion reactions, or days to weeks later, termed delayed transfusion reactions. Transfusion reactions may be difficult to diagnose as they can present with non-specific, often overlapping symptoms. The most common signs and symptoms include fever, chills, urticaria, and itching. Some symptoms may resolve with little or no treatment. However, respiratory distress, high fever, hypotension, and hemoglobinuria may indicate a more serious reaction. All cases of suspected reactions should prompt immediate discontinuation of the transfusion and notification of the blood bank and treating clinician. Learn in this podcast episode the evaluation and management of transfusion reactions and highlights the role of interprofessional team members in collaborating to provide well-coordinated care and enhance outcomes for affected patients.

 

About our Speaker: 

Dr. Aaron Tobian received his medical degrees from Case Western Reserve University. He is highly involved with the transfusion medicine community serving on the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies' Board of Directors and is president-elect of the board. Dr. Tobian has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Blood, and TRANSFUSION, and has been featured on BBC World Service, Today Show, National Public Radio, and USA Today. He is board certified in clinical pathology and blood banking/transfusion medicine and divides his time between research and clinical service. 

Partial D Phenotype and Hemolytic Disease in Babies

Alloimmune hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) may occur when a pregnant woman has an antibody against an antigen on the fetal red cells inherited from the father. Many antibodies to red blood cell antigens can cause HDFN, including those from the ABO, Rh, and other blood group systems. Women can develop antibodies either through previous pregnancy or transfusion. 
Fatal consequences from this disorder have become rare with the appropriate use of immunoprophylaxis. However, to avoid the fatal consequences of this disorder, prompt recognition and treatment are vital. The risk for HDFN can be identified by testing the mother with an ABO group/Rh and antibody screen during the pregnancy. RhD HDFN can be prevented through passive anti-D administration to suppress the mother’s immune response against the fetal RhD antigen. 
Some women may exhibit weak or discrepant results on RhD typing, or current results may differ from historical results. A common type of RhD variant is the weak D phenotype. Women with this phenotype have a weak expression of the RhD antigen and may present with variable RhD typing depending on the antisera or testing method used in the laboratory. Another type of RhD variant is the partial D phenotype where the RhD antigen is altered, potentially allowing an individual to form alloantibodies to the epitopes on RhD-positive red blood cells that are different than their own. 
In this podcast episode, we will discuss the types of HDFN, the role that partial D groups, and the presence of anti-D as it relates to its prevalence, prognosis, and management.

 

About our Speaker:

Dr. Genghis Lopez is a Senior Scientist at the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood in Brisbane, Australia. Genghis received his Ph.D. degree from Griffith University, Australia. At Lifeblood, he worked at the Platelet and Granulocyte Reference Laboratory and Red Cell Reference Laboratory and is now part of the Transfusion Science research team that investigates complex red cell blood group variants. He has published several papers in Vox Sanguinis and Transfusion journals reporting novel red cell antigens, novel blood types, and red cell antibodies including several associated with hemolytic transfusion reactions or hemolytic disease of the fetus and the newborn.